


Janie's Got a Gun

by AGJ1990



Series: Misc. Stories [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Sam and Dean as adoptive brohters, Secret Past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-27 16:58:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15689598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGJ1990/pseuds/AGJ1990
Summary: A young hunter friend of Sam and Dean's reveals a part of her past to them that they didn't know about. A part that involves John Winchester.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me.

**A/N: I’m still iffy on whether or not I’m going to complete this story, but the idea is intriguing to me. Note of warning-the story is rated M for mentions of the abuse of a child. If that offends or could possibly trigger you, don’t read ahead.**

**Chapter One**

“Alright, guys. I’m going to bed.”

 

“Night, Janie.” Sam said at the same time Dean replied, “Night, kiddo.”

 

“I should be out of your guys’ hair in the next couple days.”

 

“Janie, we said it and we meant it. You can stay as long as you want.” Sam assured her.

 

“You keep making pie like this, you got a home forever.” Dean said.

 

Janie laughed. Dean was on the fourth piece of the strawberry pie she’d made earlier that night. “Eat up, Dean. Glad you like it. Goodnight, fellas.”

 

Janie walked down the hall and into the spare room that Sam had given her when she’d come home with them two weeks earlier. She changed into the same PJs she slept in every night. Dean liked to tease her for them, but she never slept well without them. Red sweatpants with a bright green long sleeve flannel shirt that was three sizes too big for her. The sweatpants she had found at a yard sale years earlier, but she fell asleep thinking about how she’d gotten the shirt.

 

_The truck rumbled along, the landscape blurring together in one long streak of green. Janie’s head rested against the truck window, her mind not allowing her to think of anything but the last few days. The man in the driver’s seat was virtually a stranger to her. She’d never even heard of John Milton a week earlier, and she was fairly certain that wasn’t his real name. But she didn’t care. He’d rescued her, pulled her out of the hell she’d been in for the last four years._

_“You’re quiet.”_

_Janie jumped, and her heart started racing._

_“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”_

_“It’s okay.” Janie said quietly. “I’m just not used to anyone talking nicely to me anymore.”_

_John frowned. “I guess you’re not, are you? That’s all about to change.” He noticed she was shaking. “Are you okay?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“No you’re not. You’re shaking.” John said. “You’re safe now, honey.”_

_“’m not scared.” Janie murmured. “Cold.”_

_Of course she’s cold, you idiot, John thought to himself. They had left her house with nothing but the clothes on her back and a couple of photographs of her mother that Janie wanted. John slowed down a little and pointed to the floorboard in front of Janie._

_“See that duffel bag right there? Open the top flap.”_

_Janie, curious about what he was doing but not used to questioning anything, listened._

_“There’s some warm shirts in there. Pick one out and put it on.”_

_“I don’t want to take your clothes…” Janie protested._

_“You’ll freeze if you don’t.” John said. “Go ahead, sweetie. It’s okay.”_

_Janie picked one up she liked right away. It was bright green, her favorite color. It was way too big, fitting over more like a blanket than a shirt. She instantly relaxed, but only for a moment. The warmth only allowed her to think even more about the last week. John picked up on what her mind wandering meant right away._

_“You want to talk?”_

_Janie shrugged. “What do I say?”_

_“How about how you’re feeling?”_

_“Hurt. Scared. Embarrassed.” Janie said._

_“Embarrassed? Why?”_

_“Why wouldn’t I be?” Janie asked._

_“Listen to me.” John said. “None of this, none of it, is your fault. It is only the fault of that son of a bitch that called himself your father.”_

_“But he_ is _my father.” Janie said._

_John pulled the truck over to the side of the road, and Janie couldn’t help but back up against the door as much as she could. She knew in her head he wouldn’t hurt her, but years of experience had taught her to be cautious. John, aware of how anxious she was, didn’t move any closer towards her, but he didn’t move away either._

_“Sweetheart, look. I can’t convince you it wasn’t your fault. But think about this. Your mother loved you so much that she came back from the grave to make sure that he couldn’t hurt you anymore. To her, you were everything. If you start to doubt yourself, or you start to feel scared or alone, just think about that.”_

_“Do you think she’s still watching out for me?” Janie asked. “Even though it’s over?”_

_“I have no doubt.” John said._

_Janie was silent for a moment, then asked, “This couple you’re taking me to? They know…everything?”_

_“Jack and Marissa are friends of mine. They’ve always wanted to adopt an older kid. They were both foster kids their whole childhoods, and want to help make a better life for other kids in the same boat. They’re good people, and they’ll take care of you.” John said._

_“What about…?”_

_“They’ll help you decide what to do about that.” He said._

_Janie sighed. “You’re sons are lucky.”_

_John laughed. “Can I tell them you said that?”_

_“You should call your youngest. Let him know you still care about him. It…hurts not to hear it.” Janie said. “I would’ve taken all the beatings, all the...everything, if he’d just told me one time that he loved me. And meant it.”_

_“I promise I’ll think about it.” John said. “You ready to get back on the road?”_

_“Sure.” Janie said. “You want your shirt back when we get there?”_

_“No. You keep it.” John said. “Let’s go.”_

_“Hey, since you pretty much know everything about me now, will you answer something for me?” Janie asked._

_“Sure. What is it?”_

_“What’s your name? Your real name?” Janie asked._

_John smiled. “Winchester. John Winchester.”_

Janie’s alarm woke her up with a start. She had forgotten to turn it off, and reached over, annoyed. When she did, she noticed three missed calls, all from the same number. There was also a voicemail, one that made her heart stop in her chest and her breath leave her lungs.

_Janie, it’s AJ. I’m sorry to do this over voicemail, but I’ve tried to call you three times. This is going to hit the news, and I’m not going to be able to stop it. Janie, your mom and dad are dead, and we don’t know where Sabrina is. Call me the second you get this. You need to come home. Now._

 

Janie was up and dressed in under five minutes, packed in under ten. She wiped tears away as she worked, frantic to get on the road. She came into the kitchen where Sam and Dean were eating breakfast. She didn’t give them a chance to ask her what was wrong.

 

“I need your help.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.

 

“Um, I need to go home. Now. Today. “

 

“Kiddo, what is it?” Dean asked. “You look spooked.”

 

“Do you remember when I told you I was adopted?”

 

“Yeah.” Dean said.

 

Janie sighed. “What I didn’t tell you was how I ended up with my adoptive parents.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

 

“It, um…” Janie swallowed hard. “It was your dad.”

 

“Our dad? What does that mean?” Dean asked.

 

“The last case he took before he went to Jericho? It was mine.” Sam and Dean both looked at each other, mouths gaped open in shock. “Guys, listen. The couple that your dad took me to? My adoptive parents? They’re dead. And no one knows where my little sister is.”

 

“What happened?” Sam asked.

 

“Can I please tell you in the car?” Janie asked. “It’s a long drive, I promise I’ll tell you the whole story. Just, please, please come with me. I need your help.”

 

“Okay. We will. We’ll get packed up and be on the road in ten.” Dean said.

 

“Thank you.” Janie said. “Thank you.”

 

“We’ll help you figure this out.” Sam said. “Whatever it is.”

 

Janie nodded, and Sam, noticing that she was shaking, stood up and went to give her a hug. Janie accepted it gratefully, using Sam as a life raft. Because at the moment, she was drowning.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I thought I mentioned it in the last chapter, but I didn’t. This story is based on one of my favorite songs, Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun”.**

**This chapter and the next one is Janie telling her story to Sam and Dean. Eventually, they will get to where they’re going and investigate the death of Janie’s parents.**

**Chapter Two**

“Thanks, AJ.”

 

Janie hung up the phone, feeling numb and empty inside. She couldn’t allow herself to feel the entirety of her loss yet. She couldn’t let in the fear, the anger, the rage, the hurt yet. If she did, she was afraid it would kill her. Sam and Dean were waiting patiently on an explanation. She knew she’d thrown them what Dean would have called “one hell of a curveball”, but she couldn’t help it. They had to understand the whole story.

 

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

 

“Um…Apparently when my dad didn’t show up to work yesterday, or my mom, or my sister to school, a friend of my dad’s went to check on them this morning. He found my mom first, then dad, and he looked around for Sabrina but couldn’t find her.”

 

“Do the police know anything?” Dean asked from the driver’s seat.

 

“Just, um…” Janie fought back a sob, and Sam handed her a water bottle from the front seat.

 

“Take your time. It’s a long drive. We’ve got time.”

 

“Sam, they had only been dead for six hours when they were found.” Janie said.

 

“What? I thought you said they didn’t go anywhere yesterday.” Dean asked.

 

“They didn’t.” Janie said. “Which means that while I was off fighting those vampires I could have been saving them…”

 

“Janie, you can’t do that.” Sam reminded her gently. “This isn’t your fault.”

 

“Yeah I really believe that.” Janie said sourly.

 

“Why don’t you tell us your story?” Dean asked.

 

Janie nodded. “Okay.” She shifted a bit in her seat, wondering where to start. She decided to explain the background, then get into the main part of what they really wanted to know. “My mom and dad, my real mom and dad, they were childhood sweethearts. They met when they were in the first grade and got married the second they graduated high school.”

 

“Wow. Just like the movies, huh?” Sam asked.

 

“Yeah.” Janie said. “Everything was great, at least until I was eleven.”

 

“What happened when you were eleven?”

 

“They started fighting. A lot. I’d ask my mom what was going on, but she wouldn’t tell me anything. Just told me that mommy and daddy loved me and that she’d make everything okay.” Janie explained. “I never got to find out what she meant.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Janie swallowed. “She killed herself two days before my twelfth birthday.”

 

Sam and Dean did what Janie called their “creepy read each other’s minds even when you don’t know it thing”, but she was too caught up in her own story to notice this time.

 

“After she died, my dad shut down for a few days. I took care of mom’s funeral and all that.”

 

“At _twelve_?” Sam asked.

 

Janie nodded. “Yeah. I thought that, maybe, maybe he’d snap out of it. And he did. Just not like I thought.”

 

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, absolutely sure he didn’t want to know.

 

“When we got back from mom’s funeral, it finally hit me that mom was gone. I’d been trying to stay strong for Dad for days, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I started crying and I couldn’t stop.”

 

“That’s normal. The shock was wearing off.” Sam said.   


“Yeah, well, that’s the first time it happened.”

 

“First time what happened?” Dean asked.

 

“He said I was being selfish. That mom was gone and I had no right to cry like that about her. He slapped me in the face a few times and told me that if I kept it up, he’d give me something to cry about.”

 

“Son of a bitch.” Dean said under his breath.

 

“Janie, I’m…”

 

“ _Don’t_ say you’re sorry, Sam, please. It was a long time ago, it wasn’t your fault, and that’s not why I told you. I told you so I could explain where your dad comes into the story.” Janie said.

 

Sam nodded; he more than understood the need for not taking pity from anyone.

 

“So, anyway, things pretty much got worse from that point on. Four years later, I met your dad for the first time…”

 

_Janie walked the route to school, wondering again if she should just walk into the river and end it all. She passed by the diner that her mother had owned for ten years before she died and looked inside. The place was still up and running, but it just didn’t hold the same appeal of home that it had before. Janie stopped and looked in the window, and for a brief moment she saw her mother behind the counter, wiping it down, smiling and laughing with customers. Around the corner Janie, at maybe four or five years old, came around the corner and ran into and threw her arms around her mother’s legs._

_A truck pulled up to the diner and a man got out. Janie knew he was a stranger. The town was small and pretty much everyone knew Janie. They may not like her very much, but they knew her. She didn’t know what drew her to the stranger, but she stared and watched him. He turned, saw her staring at him, and waved and smiled. Yep, definitely a stranger, Janie thought, waving back at him._

_“JANIE!”_

_Janie jumped a foot in the air, then saw her father’s battered, broken down car that everyone in town knew._

_“Get your ass to school! Now! Before I whip you so hard you never stop feeling it!”_

_Janie swallowed and started shaking, her default reaction to her father’s presence. “S…sorry, daddy.”_

_“Go. Now.”_

_“Yes, sir.” Janie said, running quickly to get to school._

_It was eight hours of hell for Janie, just like it was every other day. The taunts stayed the same. Look at her. Sad little Janie Foster. With her crazy father Leon. And the worst one of all to Janie, he killed her mother. Janie didn’t want to believe it, but with the way her father’s attitude had turned towards her, she feared it could be true. Janie opened the door and closed it right away. She started to head up to her room when she heard it._

_“Janie.”_

_Janie jumped again and turned around. What was her father doing home? He didn’t usually get home until after dinner. Would Janie be in trouble for being late? It was 3:45 and she was supposed to be home “not one minute past 3:30 or it’ll be hard for you to sit for a month.” But all those thoughts were chased from her head when she realized that they weren’t alone._

_“Hi.”_

_“Hi there.” The man said._

_Janie realized where she’d seen him before. “I saw you at the diner this morning.”_

_“That’s right.” He said with a smile. “I’m John.”_

_“Janie.”_

_“Janie. Don’t you have homework?” Leon asked._

_Her father’s stern tone brought Janie’s attempt at normal conversation to a screeching halt. “No sir. I did it all during study period.”_

_“Then get up to your room. You’re still grounded.”_

_Janie’s heart dropped. She wasn’t grounded, at least that he’d told her. He was trying to be nice for the company and not draw suspicion to them._

_“Yes, sir.”_

_“Actually, Mr. Foster, you mind if I ask Janie some questions? The same ones I asked you?” John asked._

_Janie could tell he wanted to say no, but Leon nodded his consent._

_“Okay, thanks. Janie, have you noticed anything weird going on lately?”_

_“Weird? Like what?” She asked._

_“Like lights flickering? Cold spots anywhere? Do you feel like someone’s maybe watching you?”_

_“No.” Janie said. “Not that I remember.”_

_“Okay. Well, listen, I’m staying at the Fox Motel, room 337. If you do think of anything, will you call me? You can call me anytime, day or night.”_

_“I’ll call.” Janie said._

_“Alright. I’ll get out of your hair now. It was nice to meet you both.”_

_“Nice to meet you too.” Janie said._

_Janie smiled as John went out the door. He was the first person in a long while to show her any kindness. Even though it was just a smile and a slight conversation, it was enough. When the door closed and the truck drove away, Janie turned and started to head to her room like her father had said. Before she got a few inches, she was knocked to the floor by the back of her father’s open hand. Her father may have been a slow, clumsy drunk, but he moved fast when he wanted to hit her._

_“You should be ashamed of yourself. Flirting with a man older than me.”_

_“Daddy, please, I didn’t.” Janie said, hand to her cheek to try and rub away the pain._

_“Get up to your room. Now. Do not come out until I tell you you can.” Leon said._

_“Can I please eat something fir…”_

_In a flash, Leon had pulled Janie up from the floor, held her around the waist, and was spanking her hard and fast. It didn’t take long to get her to the point of crying and begging._

_“Daddy, please, I’m sorry…”_

_“Get to your room. Now.” Leon said again, still swatting. “I tell you one more time and you won’t leave that room for a week. Understand?”_

_“Yes, sir! Daddy, please, please stop!”_

_Leon finally let her go, but Janie knew better than to think it was over._

_“Go. I’ll be up soon.”_

_“Yes, sir.” Janie somehow managed to get out._

_Still crying, Janie ran to her room and threw herself on her bed. She knew what it meant when Leon said he’d be up soon. It only meant one of two things, one bad and one worse. She only hoped for a few minutes break before he made his choice. She pulled out from under pillow a photograph she kept there. It was of her, her mother, and her father on her fourth birthday. Her mother was trying to wipe her face with a wet rag, as it was covered in birthday cake. Her father was holding her, and helping her avoid her mother. They were all laughing, even though her mother was pretending to be annoyed._

_“Mommy, I need you back. I can’t do this anymore. Please help me.”_

_I’m here, Janie. It’s almost over. Mommy’s here._

_The voice was so weak that Janie didn’t dare hope it was real. She didn’t dare hope that the hand she felt rubbing her back was real either. All too soon, her bedroom door opened. Janie thought about trying to pretend to be asleep, but she doubted it would do any good. Leon stood there, folded belt in his hand._

_“Get up.”_

“He…” Sam shook his head, unable to wrap his head around Leon’s cruelty. “He beat you with a belt? Because he thought you were flirting with Dad?”

 

“Yeah.” Janie said. “He did.”

 

Dean, who was pulling into a diner, stopped the car and turned to Janie. “You don’t have to tell us anymore if you don’t want to. I’m sorry we kinda pressured you into it.”

 

“No. No, it’s okay. I want you guys to know. It’s better than spending the whole ride wondering what happened.” Janie said. “Or where Sabrina is.”

 

“Okay. I’m going to get some food. I know you’re gonna say you’re not hungry, but I’ll get you a burger. Save it for later if you want, but you need to eat.”

 

Janie nodded. “Thanks, Dean.”

 

Dean reached out towards Janie and took her hand. “We got you, kiddo. You believe me, don’t you?”

 

Janie squeezed Dean’s hand, her appreciation for them temporarily overriding her despair. “Yeah. I know, Dean. I know.”


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter delves a little more into Janie’s abuse at the hands of her father. It is darker than the first two chapters, and Janie makes a disturbing revelation to both John in the flashback and Sam and Dean at the end. If this topic disturbs/offends you, do not read ahead.**

**The next chapter starts the part of the story where Sam, Dean, and Janie investigate the murder of her adoptive parents.**

**Chapter Three**

They had been in the car for exactly two hours, with another three to go by Janie’s estimation. With the way Dean was driving, Janie thought with slight amusement, that could go down to two. She had eaten the burger Dean had gotten for her, surprised at how hungry she actually was, but it had immediately come back up when AJ called back to say that they were combing the town for Sabrina with no luck. Sam had held her hair back for her, then handed her a water bottle when she had finally calmed down.

 

“You good?” he asked quietly.

 

Janie nodded. “As good as I can be.”

 

“You ready to get back on the road?” Dean asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why don’t I get in the back with you?” Sam asked.

 

“Would you?” Janie asked, rubbing a hand through her hair. “Please?”

 

“Sure.”

 

They rode in virtual silence another few minutes, Sam insisting on Janie drinking the rest of the water bottle before she got back to her story. Janie ended up leaning against Sam’s side as Dean drove, and Sam was once again reminded of how young she was. Dean finally broke the silence.

 

“Who’s AJ?”

 

“What?” Janie asked.

 

“AJ. The guy that keeps calling. Who is he?”

 

“Oh. He was the first friend I really made when I moved in with Jack and Marissa.” Janie said. “I think he had a little bit of a crush on me.”

 

“Had? Or has?” Sam asked.

 

“I think it went away when I left home.”

 

“You want to keep going?” Sam asked. “What happened next?”

 

Janie sighed. “I found your dad the next day…”

 

_Janie sat in the café, in the far corner away from the windows. She hadn’t told her father that school was out, and prayed that no one else had either. When she wasn’t in school, Janie was expected to stay home and clean the house from top to bottom. She was only allowed two half-hour breaks on those days to eat and rest. Janie squirmed in the seat, hoping that no one would notice. Or that someone would. Even eighteen hours later, the pain was still there. When Leon punished her, he did a thorough job each time. Mercy was a foreign concept to him._

_“Hi, there.”_

_Janie jumped and looked up to see John looking down at her. “Hi.”_

_“Can I join you?”_

_“Sure.” Janie said. “I actually came to talk to you.”_

_“You did?”_

_“Yeah. Are you busy?” Janie asked._

_“I was just about to have some lunch. You want to join me?”_

_Janie nodded. “Yes, please.”_

_As John sat, he noticed that Janie wasn’t really looking him in the eye. Every time he got close to her, she would pull away. He also noticed her squirming. He’d thought about her the night before. She was far too quiet, too shy, and too timid for his liking. He opened a menu, and Janie made a casual observation._

_“I can tell you’re not from this town.”_

_John chuckled. “How’s that?”_

_“’Cause you actually like me.”_

_The matter of fact way she said it made the smile drop off John’s face immediately. “What does that mean, Janie?”_

_Janie realized that she’d gotten too comfortable with this stranger and shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind.”_

_Not wanting to push her away, John decided to let it go. “You said you wanted to talk to me?”_

_“Yeah. I, um, I didn’t exactly tell you the truth yesterday.”_

_“About what?” John asked, even though he already knew._

_“You asked if I’d seen anything weird.”_

_“Have you?” John asked._

_Janie took a deep breath. “Yes. But I’m afraid to tell you.”_

_“Why?”_

_“You won’t believe me.” Janie said._

_“Try me.”_

_Tears pooled in Janie’s eyes. “I think it’s my mom.”_  
  
“Whoa, whoa. Here.” John pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Why do you think it’s your mom?” 

_“I think she’s trying to protect me.”_

_“Protect you from what, sweetheart?” John asked. When Janie nodded her head furiously, John realized what she was trying not to tell him. He lowered his voice to avoid embarrassing her. “Is your father hurting you?”_

_“No.” Janie said much too quickly to be believed. “No, we just…we fight sometimes.”_

_“Janie, if your father is hurting you, I can help you get out of here. Get away from him and someplace safe.”_

_“He’s not hurting me!” Janie said again, a little too loudly._

_“Okay, okay, fine.” John said. “Then why do you think it’s your mother?”_

_“I’ve been…hearing her. When I’m in my room crying after my dad and I fight. I’ll feel her sometimes, too. Rubbing my back to make me feel better, putting her arm around me.”_

_“A lot of us feel like we hear and see people we love that have died.” John said._

_“My mom died over three years ago. And I haven’t just been feeling her.”_

_“You’ve seen her?”_

_“Yes. In my room last night. I was crying and I saw her.” Janie said. “She was kneeling next to my bed, wiping my face and telling me I was going to be okay.”_

_John’s heart, hardened by years of hunting ghosts like this, cracked and almost shattered at the way this poor child was so obviously hurting and in distress. He had assumed that the ghost was malevolent, but maybe it was there to comfort and soothe Janie._

_“She was a ghost, wasn’t she?”_

_John nodded. “Yeah, sweetie, she was.”_

_“I didn’t think ghosts were real.”_

_“They are.” John said. “In fact, that’s what I do. I hunt ghosts.”_

_Janie looked up at him, alarmed, but before she could say anything, the front door to the diner opened. Her furious father was storming towards her at the table. He grabbed Janie’s arm and whispered softly under his breath._

_“Get your ass in the car. Now.”_  
  


_“There’s no need for that, Mr. Foster. Janie and I were just having a little chat…”_  
  


_“You stay the hell away from my daughter and out of this!” Leon said to John just as viciously. “Janie lied to me about school today, she knows the punishment for that.”_

_“John, please, please don’t make this worse…”_

_“I said, GET YOUR ASS IN MY CAR RIGHT NOW!” Leon turned and swatted Janie once, but the embarrassment of being in a public place made the swat sting a hundred times worse._

_John, as hard as it was, respected her request and left it alone. He heard Janie begging her father to just let her walk, but Leon dragged her to the car and threw her roughly into the passenger’s seat. John fought the urge to follow them, run the car off the road, rescue Janie and shoot the bastard in the head. He made up his mind that no matter what happened, he would be leaving that town with her._

Sam and Dean were speechless, Sam especially. Janie had never talked much about her family, and now it was apparent to both of them the reason why. Dean kept thinking to himself that he was glad he hunted monsters, because some people were too crazy for him to deal with. Sam kept wondering how she was still halfway sane.

 

“Please tell me Dad eventually killed him.”

 

“Killed who?” Janie asked.

 

“That shmuck of a sperm donor for you.”

 

For the first time, Janie laughed. “He found a better idea.”

 

“What do you mean?”   
  
“My story’s almost done. Just bear with me.”

_John took his coffee cup and threw it across the room. It had been three hours, and he’d yet to come up with a plan to help Janie or get the ghost. A furious knock at his door shook him out of his thoughts. He answered it with a hand on his gun, only to find a crying, bloody Janie there waiting for him._

_“Help me.”_

_“Come on.” John helped her inside and sat her on the bed. “What happened to you?”_

_But Janie was crying too hard to be coherent, so John tended to her wounds and helped her calm down first. Her nose wasn’t broken, but someone (bastard sperm donor, John thought) had punched her hard enough it was swollen. There was a handprint on her cheek, and she was getting a black eye. She was still squirming on the bed like earlier at the diner, but it was much worse this time. She exhausted herself crying, and John finally went out and got her a large glass of ice water. She drank it greedily, and another disturbing thought came to John._

_“Janie, have you had anything to eat or drink today?”_

_Janie shook her head and looked away, as if she was ashamed to admit it._

_John handed her what was left of the sandwich he’d gotten at the deli across the street. “You like turkey?”_

_“Yes.” Janie said, looking down at the floor, as if she was ashamed._

_“Eat that. All of it. After you eat, take these.” John pulled two pain pills out of a bottle in his bag. “Don’t take them before you eat or it’ll make you sick. Okay?”_

_“Why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.” Janie asked as she took the sandwich from him._

_“Because you’re in pain. Janie, no one deserves this. No one. It isn’t your fault, and I will keep you safe. Do you trust me?”_

_Janie didn’t know why, but she did trust him. “I trust you.”_

_“Okay. Eat. I’m going to the deli across the street to get you something to drink. What do you like?”_

_Janie feared making a request, after years of feeling lucky to even be fed enough. But this would be the final test as to whether John was really there to help her, or if he had any sort of hidden agenda. “Iced tea. Lots of ice.”_

_“You got it.” He said with a warm but sad smile. “I’m locking the door behind me, and I’m leaving this with you.” John put his gun on the floor beside her. “I’ll only be a few minutes, but if anyone other than me comes to that door, you don’t open it. If they get in, you don’t hesitate to shoot.”_  
  


_“I won’t.” Janie said._

_“I’ll be back.”_

_When she finally had a full stomach, Janie explained, “He dragged me from the diner and back to the house.”_

_“Your father?”_

_“Yeah. He dragged me down the basement. I thought he was going to whip me again.”_  
  


_“Again? Is that why you were squirming so bad at the diner?”_

_Janie nodded. “Yeah. But he didn’t. He just told me he was gonna leave me down there until tomorrow.”_

_“Lock you in the basement? Has he done that before?”_

_“A couple times. He’ll leave me down there for a day or two to ‘think’ about things.” Janie said._

_“So what happened? Obviously he didn’t leave you alone for long.”_

_“He got a phone call. A couple days ago, the nurse at school made him take me to the ER. I’d passed out twice. They ran blood tests and everything, and…” Janie swallowed, and tears threatened to fall again._

_“What is it, Janie?”_

_“I can’t say it.” Janie said._

_“Janie, come on. I promise, whatever it is, I won’t abandon you.”_

_Janie looked up, and the pure shame in her face made John wish he could grab her up and hold her until she recognized that she deserved someone to love and care for her. But what she said would have knocked John off his feet if he’d been standing._

_“I’m pregnant.”_

_“Oh, Janie.” John said. “Honey, it’s okay.”_

_“No, it isn’t.”_

_“Honey, all of us make mistakes. Believe me, I’ve made a ton of them…” When she looked away, a frightening puzzle piece clicked into place. “Janie…”_

_“He doesn’t just hit me.” Janie whispered._

Silence fell over the car again. Dean was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. Sam found himself holding Janie tight, as if he could take the pain and all the bad stuff away from her.

 

“You’re really telling me Dad didn’t kill that son of a bitch?” Dean asked from the front seat.

 

“Patience, Dean.”

_“Janie, look at me.” John said, firmly but not unkindly._

_Janie looked up at him, wondering why he hadn’t thrown her out yet._

_“Janie, this is not on you. It’s on your father and your father alone. But he won’t be a problem after tonight.”_

_“What does that mean?” Janie asked._

_“I need you to trust me. Do you?” John asked. Janie nodded, and John said, “Okay. I’m gonna take some blood from you.”_

_“Blood?” Janie asked._

_“Blood. Everything will make sense later on. Just trust me.”_

 “What did he need the blood for?” Sam asked.

 

Janie just smiled, and continued her story.

 

 _John took as much blood from Janie as was safe. He was preparing to leave, and had decided to make sure Janie understood what he had to do before he left._  
  


_“Janie? How did you get away from your dad?”_

_“I, um, grabbed a piece of wood that was on the floor and hit him with it as hard as I could. He kept saying he should kill me, and I was afraid he really would.” Janie said._

_“Okay. You did good. Very good.” John assured her. “Listen, I’m going to your house now. When I’m done there, I’m coming to get you and we’re leaving. Is there anything you want me to get from your house?”_

_“Just a photo of my mom. I don’t care which one.” Janie said._

_“Nothing else? No clothes, no books?”_

_“I don’t care about anything else.” Janie said. “Just that photo.”_

_“You got it.” John said. “Honey, you’re exhausted. Lay down and get some sleep. I’ll be back.”_

_“John? Are you gonna send my mom away?”_

_“Yes. I know you don’t want me to, but she can’t stay around, sweetie.”_

_“Please don’t. She’s all I’ve got left.” Janie begged._

_John sighed. “I swear to you, I will keep you safe. I know it’s probably hard for you to trust anyone, but just trust me. I’ll make it okay for you.”_

_A tear fell down Janie’s cheek. “That’s what mommy said. That she’d make it okay.”_  
  


_John smiled and wiped the tear away before it fell all the way down. “Maybe that’s why I’m here.” Finally, Janie smiled. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.”_

“Thirty miles to go.” Dean announced from the front seat.

 

“Perfect.” Janie said.  

 

_Janie was surprised, but she fell straight to sleep. She woke up several hours later, as John opened the hotel room door. She had slept straight through the night, but felt just as tired as the night before._

_“Is it done?” she asked._

_“Almost.” John said. He placed his bag on the table and sat next to her. “Your father’s been arrested.”_

_“What? You went to the police?” Janie exclaimed. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”_

_“Sweetie, calm down.” John said. “I didn’t go to the police. I made your dad go to the police.”_

_“What?”_

_“Here.” John said. “Turn the TV on.”_

_“Police are baffled this morning as a local man, Leon Foster, came into the department late last night and confessed to the murder of his fifteen-year-old daughter Janie. Further complicating the case is the absence of a body of the teenager, yet the presence of her blood all over the basement of the house. Further information on our 6:00 broadcast.”_

_Janie flicked the TV off. “He confessed to killing me?”_

_“He did.” John said. “I thought about doing it myself, but I figured spending the rest of his life in prison would give him a dose of his own medicine.”_

_“So it’s over?”_

_“It’s over.” John assured her._

_“Where am I gonna go?”_

_“I called a couple that I’ve known for a long time. They know the truth about the supernatural, and they’ve been looking to adopt an older kid for a long time. They’re really excited to meet you.” John said._

_“Can I go with you instead?”_

_John hesitated, but answered honestly. “If it were safe for you, I’d take you with me in a heartbeat. But I’m a pretty lousy dad, sweetie.”_  
  


_“You can’t be as bad as mine.”_

_“True.” John conceded. “But hunting’s not a life for someone who wasn’t born or pushed into it. I’ve already pushed my youngest away from me, and my oldest is barely getting by. I don’t want to go for a third strike.”_

_“Do you…do you trust them?” Janie asked._

_“Yes, I do.” John said. “Kiddo, they wouldn’t hurt you. All they want is to help you.”_

_“If I’m dead, how can they adopt me?”_

_“You let me and Jack worry about that.” John said._

_“Jack?”_

_“Jack and Marissa. They’ll be your foster parents.” John said._

_“I haven’t been part of a family for a long time.”_

_“Just because she’s gone, doesn’t mean that your mother’s still not in your family.” John explained. “Speaking of…” John ran a hand over his face, still surprised he was going to do this. “Janie, the reason your mother appeared all those times was because you called her.”_

_Janie nodded. “I figured.”_

_“So I want you to call her again. So you can say goodbye.”_

_“You didn’t get rid of her?” Janie asked._

_“Not yet. Normally I wouldn’t have hesitated. But you need this. So just call her. Talk to her, then we’ll help her move on. Okay?”_

_Janie nodded. “Mommy? I need you.”_

_A woman appeared in the room. It was the first time John had seen her close up. She was a beautiful woman, with long, curly, flowing jet black hair. She wore a white t-shirt and jeans with a pink long sleeve sweater on the top of it. John guessed it was the outfit she’d died in. She ignored John and stared at Janie, a warm smile on her face._

_“Mommy? You have to go now, don’t you?”_

_“Yes, I do.” Her mother walked in front of Janie and kneeled down, placing a hand on her cheek. “You’re safe now, baby. Go with John.”_

_Janie was crying again, and grabbed her mom’s arm with one hand and placed the other on her stomach. “I’m sorry.”_

_“Shh. You have nothing to be sorry for. I told you mommy would make it okay, didn’t I?”_

_“Yeah. You did.” Janie said. “I love you, mommy.”_

_“I love you too. Goodbye, sweetheart. Go have peace now. You deserve it.” She turned to John. “Thank you.”_

_“You’re welcome.” John said. “Do  you need me to help you move on?”_

_“No. I’ll go now. You can handle it from here.”_

_With that, Janie’s mother finally left. John was afraid she’d break down again, but she didn’t. She took the photo in her hands and walked towards the door._

_“I’m hungry. Can we go eat now?”_

_“You bet we can. Let’s go.”_

“And from there, he took me to my adoptive parents.” Janie said. “After a while, I started calling Jack and Marissa mom and dad. I got my GED. They tried to talk me into going to college, but I had a hard time with a normal life. So I ran, eventually met Bobby Singer, and when he realized I wasn’t going to give up hunting, he trained me.”

 

“What did your parents think about that?”

 

“They weren’t thrilled about it, but they told me I’d always have a place to come home to. And I did. They never once turned me away.” Janie said.

 

“We’re here, kiddo.” Dean said. He turned around and said. “You ready?”

 

Janie sighed. “No. But I don’t really have a choice. I need to go see if they’ve found Sabrina.”

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that. What’s gonna happen with Sabrina?” Sam asked.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“You know, if you wanted to take her, me and Sam would help you find a place.” Dean said. “It’d be a lot better than foster care.”

 

“No. I’m not taking care of Sabrina.” Janie said.

 

“Why not? She’s your little sister. Would you rather her end up with a stranger?” Dean asked.

 

“Yeah, actually, I would.” Janie said, getting slightly defensive. “I’m not taking care of her, Dean. Not because I don’t care about her, but because I do. I’ll stay until she’s found a home, but I won’t take her permanently.”

 

“Why?” Dean asked, looking to Sam. He couldn’t fathom why she would rather leave Sabrina than keep them together.

 

“Because she’s not just my little sister, Dean.” Janie said. “She’s also my daughter.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warning before reading this note-it contains spoilers for the last chapter. If for whatever reason, you’re skipping chapters, proceed at your own risk. 
> 
> I got a comment from a friend of mine reading this (in person, not on the website) that Janie doesn’t seem to care very much about what happened to her adoptive parents, or about her little sister/daughter being missing. I don’t know why this comment got to me, but it kind of did. In case anyone else might be thinking along those lines, let me explain. Janie has been through more in her life than most people can fathom. She has also just lost the two people who gave her a home after she left her father. She’s in shock, which I know from personal experience can take years to wear off. She’s also struggling with mixed feelings about Sabrina. All of this is going through her at once, and she feels like she has to focus on finding out what happened to her parents. I hope that makes sense.

Sam and Dean were silent again. Janie prepared for them to turn away, to tell her that they were done with her, but they didn’t. Janie broke the silence.

 

“Dean, I just can’t. After I had Sabrina, my adoptive parents wanted to adopt her too and raise her as my little sister. I thought it was a great idea at first, but I couldn’t look at her without thinking about how she came into the world.” She explained. “I don’t blame Sabrina for anything, but I’m afraid if I keep her, she’s going to be able to see that.” Janie sighed in frustration. “God, I sound like an awful person.”

 

“You’re not.” Sam said. “It makes sense to me.”

 

“Yeah. Me too. I’m sorry I pressured you.” Dean said.

 

“It’s okay.” Janie said. “It really is. Come on, let’s go inside.”

 

The three of them followed Janie inside. They had pulled up Dean realized that they’d been so caught up in Janie’s story that they hadn’t come up with any kind of background. He didn’t have time to bring the point up, as a guy that they had never seen before got out of a car from across the street.

 

“Janie!”

 

“AJ!”   
  
The two of them hugged briefly. “It’s good to see you.” AJ said. “I just wish it was for a different reason.”

 

“Me too.” Janie said. “Have you found Sabrina?”

 

“No. I’m sorry, we’re still looking.”

 

“Hang on. I had a thought. Can I go inside?” Janie asked.

 

“Sure.” AJ said. “What are you thinking?”

 

“Just follow me.”

 

The three men followed Janie inside. She went up the small staircase to a bedroom. There was a hand drawn poster on the door that read, in pink and purple letters, “Sabrina’s Room”. AJ reminded her that they had already searched Sabrina’s room the day her parents had been found.

 

“Trust me.”

 

Janie went to the corner of the room, knelt down in front of the door to Sabrina’s closet, and reached up to take the door handle. She pulled on the doorknob, and found it locked.

 

“What the hell?” AJ said.

 

Janie put a finger to her lips. She knocked softly on the door, and the three of them heard a shuffling noise inside. Dean instinctively reached for his gun, but Janie shook her head.

 

“Sabby? Open the door, baby. It’s sissy.” When she received no response, Janie asked again. “Sabby? It’s okay. I’m here now. Please open the door.” Again, no response, and Janie got an idea. “Dean. Will you come here, please?”

 

Dean joined Janie next to the door, wondering what she was planning to do.

 

“Sabby? I’ve got some friends out here with me. They’re gonna help me figure out what happened to mommy and daddy. But to do that, we need to talk to you. We need to know what happened. Can you come out and meet them for me?”

 

Slowly, the lock to the closet clicked, the doorknob turned, and a small hand came out of the closet. A small girl came out, one that looked to Dean thought looked like the spitting image of Janie, and stood staring wide-eyed at Janie and the three other adults in the room.

 

“Hey, baby. Are you okay?” Janie asked. Sabrina was staring at Dean, backing away from him, seeming to try and melt into the doorframe. “It’s okay, Sabby. This is my friend, Dean. Whatever happened, whatever you saw, Dean’s gonna help keep you safe. Right?”

 

“That’s right, kiddo. We’re here to help.”

 

Sabrina looked to Janie and asked, “Are mommy and daddy okay?”

 

Janie swallowed hard. “No, honey. They’re not. They’re gone.”

 

“They’re dead?” Sabrina asked, her voice cracking.

 

“Yeah, honey. I’m so sorry.” Before Sabrina broke down, Janie asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“Daddy was upstairs getting ready for work. I was getting dressed for school. We heard a loud noise and mommy scream. Daddy told me to stay in my room and he went downstairs to help her. Then I heard him yell at somebody to get out.”

 

“Sabrina? Did you see who it was?” AJ asked from the door.

 

Sabrina nodded. “He came up to my room and grabbed me.”

 

“He what? Are you hurt?” Janie asked.

“No. He just dragged me downstairs with mommy and daddy. He kept us downstairs all day and wouldn’t let us go anywhere.”

 

“Did he say who he was? Or what he wanted?” Janie asked.

 

“He said he wanted you.”

 

Janie was certain she’d heard wrong, but based on the looks on the faces of everyone else in the room, she hadn’t.

 

“He said he wanted me?”

 

“Yeah.” Sabrina said. “He said we couldn’t leave until Janie got here.”

 

“What the hell?” Janie asked. “How did you get away?”

 

“He got mad ‘cause mommy and daddy wouldn’t call you and ask you to come. He went to the kitchen and Daddy told me to run out the door for help.” Sabrina started crying again. “I heard a loud popping noise when I got to the street. I looked back and saw a flash of light.”

 

“Oh, baby.” Janie pulled Sabrina into a hug. “What happened next?”

 

“I hid across the street and waited until the house was empty.”

 

“Why didn’t you talk to the police?” Dean asked.

 

Sabrina seemed taken aback by Dean’s intrusion into her and Janie’s conversation, but she answered him. “I was scared. I thought if I left my hiding place that he’d come back. When everybody was gone and I was sure, I ran back across the street as fast as I could.”  

 

“It’s okay, Sabby.” Janie said. “It’s okay, baby.”   


“I’m gonna call the station and let them know she’s safe.” AJ said from the doorway, before his phone rang first.

 

“I shouldn’t have run away. I should’ve gone for help.” Sabrina said.

 

“Sabby, listen to me. You did the right thing, sweetie. If you had come back, he could have hurt you too.”

 

“But I might’ve saved them.” Sabrina said.

 

“You couldn’t have saved them, Sabrina.” AJ had come back into the room, and was hanging up his phone. “Honey, they died right away.”

 

“They did?” Sabrina asked.

“Yeah.” AJ said. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

 

“Okay.” Janie turned towards Sabrina and suggested, “Do you still like looking at old cars?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Dean’s got a beauty outside. I’m sure he’d love to show you.”

 

“Really?” Sabrina asked.

 

“You bet I would.” Dean said enthusiastically. “And Baby’s not old. It’s…”

 

“Classic.” Sabrina said with a smile. “Can I see it?”   


“Wait a second.” Janie said. “Listen, Sabby, I want Dean to carry you outside.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just trust me. Okay?” Janie said. The thought of Sabrina seeing the bloodstains that were still inside the house made her shudder. “Let Dean pick you up and carry you outside. Put your head on his shoulder and close your eyes until you get outside. Okay?”

 

“Okay, sissy.” Sabrina said.

 

It was awkward for both Dean and Sabrina, who, at nine years old, was almost too big for Dean to carry. But Dean carried her out the door, down the stairs, and outside towards Baby. Only when Janie heard Sabrina shout ‘WOW!’ did she turn back to AJ.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Well, that was the coroner. Like I said, your parents each had one shot to the head that killed them straight away.” AJ told her.

 

“Okay.” Janie said. “AJ, what are trying _not_ to tell me?”

 

AJ took a breath before he told her. “We have a suspect. All but one of the fingerprints we took matched your mom, dad, or Sabrina.”

 

“That’s good, isn’t it? Who’s the suspect?”

 

“Jane, I’m sorry.” AJ said. “I wanted to tell you, but your dad wouldn’t let me.”

 

“Tell me what?”

 

“The fingerprint was a match for Leon Foster.”

 

**Next chapter: Dean talks to Sabrina outside. Janie deals with AJ’s revelation, and the search for Leon begins.**


	5. Chapter 5

Sabrina sat in the front seat of Baby, taking in every bit of her. Dean knelt beside her, reveling in the ability to explain exactly why Baby was the best car in the entire world and actually have someone agree with him. As Sabrina ran her hand over the steering wheel, Dean asked,

 

“You know most kids don’t really care about classic cars. What got you into ‘em?”

 

“My daddy likes them a lot. He takes me to car shows and stuff like that.” Sabrina then realized what she’d said and hung her head. “He did.”

 

“I’m sorry, kiddo. I do know what it’s like to watch somebody you love die.”

 

“You do?” Sabrina asked.

 

“Yeah. I do.”

 

Sabrina spotted Janie’s bag in the backseat, a backpack she’d seen before from when Janie came home. “I don’t think Sissy likes me very much.”

 

“Now I happen to know that that isn’t true.” Dean said. “She talks about you all the time.”

 

“She does?”

 

“She does.” Dean assured her. “She loves you, kiddo.”

 

“But she’s never here.” Sabrina said. “Now she’s gonna leave again.”

 

Dean sighed. Listening to Janie’s story in the car had opened his eyes to a lot about her past. He wanted to assure Sabrina that Janie would stay, that she’d keep Sabrina and raise her in the absence of her parents. He understood her reluctance to keep Sabrina, but didn’t know how to explain it, or whether he even should try to explain it. Dean decided to keep it simple.

 

“Listen. When I was your age, my dad was gone for work. He’d be gone for days, sometimes weeks at a time.”

 

“Did he love you?” Sabrina asked.

 

“He did. He just had a hard time showing it.” Dean said. “Some people just can’t live like a normal family. Janie loves you, kiddo. She just wants what’s best for you, and right now, coming to stay with her, me, and Sam isn’t it.”

 

“Will she stay until we figure out where I’m supposed to go?”

 

“You bet she will.” Dean said. “Me and Sam will too. If you want.”

 

Sabrina nodded. “I’d like that.”

 

“Good. Now, what can you tell me about Baby’s engine?”

 

Inside, Janie had started shaking. There was no way that she’d heard AJ correctly.

 

“What the hell?” she said, her voice quavering along with the rest of her. “AJ, seriously, what the hell?”

 

“Janie, I’m sorry…”   


“You’re _sorry!?!”_ Janie shouted.

 

“Am I missing something?” Sam asked.

 

“Dad told me that bastard died in prison!” Janie said. “And you _knew?”_

 

“I wanted to tell you…”

 

“But Dad wouldn’t let you.” Janie said. She ran a hand through her hair and turned away, still unable to comprehend what he’d just told her. “AJ, please. Please tell me you didn’t lie to me. Not about _this._ ”

 

“Janie…I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

 

“Well, sorry won’t bring my mom and dad back, will it?” Janie asked bitterly.

 

“Janie, listen. Jack told you that because you were having nightmares about him coming back and taking you. Hurting you again. He thought if you thought that Leon was dead, the nightmares would stop.” AJ said. “He loved you. And he loved Sabrina. And he hated seeing you in so much pain. He didn’t do it to hurt you. He did it so that maybe it would help you heal.”

 

Janie shook her head. “No. He lied to me. So did you.”

 

Janie turned on her heel and headed out the door, her breath coming in short hitches of panic. Her heart slammed against her chest. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t catch her breath. Not wanting Sabrina to see her panicking, Janie headed to the kitchen, but never made it past the doorway. She heard someone following her, but all she could do was stand against the wall and place her hands on her knees.

 

“Janie!” Sam had followed her out. “Are you okay?”

 

“Sam, I can’t breathe.”

 

“Come on. Sit down.” Sam said. “Just trust me, sit down.”   


Janie slid to the floor and tried curling into the fetal position, but Sam didn’t let her. He took both her hands and held them. Janie shook so much that Sam’s entire arm shook with her.

“Janie, you’re safe. You’re here with me. With Dean. You’re okay.”

 

“I c…I ca…I can’t face him again.” Janie said. “Sam, I can’t face him again.”

 

“Janie, stop. Just take some deep breaths. Come on, I’ll help you.” It took several minutes, but finally Janie was calm enough to listen. “Janie, listen. I know you’re scared. But you are not alone. Dean and I will not leave you, I swear.”

 

“Sam, you don’t get it. He scares me worse than any monster I’ve ever fought.” Janie said with a sob.

 

“Janie, stop. You ‘ve been with me and Dean for a while now. Is there anything you’ve seen us fight that we couldn’t defeat?” When Janie shook her head, Sam said, “That’s right. And we will help you here. You are not alone.”

 

“Sam, he took everything from me.” Janie said, her shock starting to wear off, making tear after fall down her face. “Everything except you and Dean.”

 

“So let us help you.” Sam said. “Just like dad did.”

 

“Janie?”

 

Janie looked up to find AJ looking down at her. “What?”

 

“I need to know what you want to happen with your mom and dad.”

 

“Janie, let’s go see them. To say goodbye. Then Dean and I’ll help you bury them.” Sam said.

 

“I can’t…I can’t do it again.”

 

“Yes, you can.” Sam promised. “I’m right here with you.”

 

“AJ, can you give me and Sam a minute, please?”

 

“Sure.” AJ said. “I’ll go check on Sabrina.”

 

Once AJ was gone, Janie turned back to Sam. “You swear you won’t leave me?”

 

“I swear.” Sam said. “You ready to go?”

 

Janie swallowed. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

Sam helped Janie up, and walked with her outside back towards the car. Janie convinced Sabrina to stay with Sam and Dean while she went to collect her parents’ bodies. It wasn’t hard to convince Sabrina, who seemed to have taken quite the shine to Dean. There was a playground across the street from the hospital. After reminding Sabrina to stay in Dean’s eyeline the entire time, Janie headed upstairs to see her parents.

 

She hadn’t seen them in months. Marissa’s hair was longer than the last time Janie had seen her. Janie remembered many conversations with Marissa about how pretty she was, and how she was a beautiful person inside and out. Every time Janie doubted her, Marissa would hug her and say _I’ll believe it for the both of us until you do._ Jack had been clean shaven the last time Janie had seen him, but had grown a full beard in the months since. Janie had lived with them for eight months before having Sabrina and four months after Sabrina was born. She couldn’t recall a single day that Jack hadn’t reminded her that they were there for her, that she was a prat of their family and always would be. She didn’t think she’d ever forget the look on his face the first time she had wrapped her arms around his waist and called him dad.

 

“I thought when my mother died that my life was over. But you two gave it back to me. I wouldn’t have made it without you. And I can’t believe I never thanked you for it.” Janie sniffed and wiped her face. “I know I didn’t say it enough, but I loved you guys. I love you so much. I’m sorry that I left. I know it hurt both of you. But I’m okay now. I finally found someplace I really belong. A place I can finally do some good and not think about everything bad that ever happened to me. I hope you understand.”

 

Janie gave them both a kiss on the cheek, then signed the paperwork to take custody of her mom and dad’s bodies. She made a phone call before leaving. She headed across the street to get Sam to help her take them to be buried. She saw Sam and Dean standing off to the side of the playground talking, presumably about what she had been told back at the house. Janie walked to them, looking around for Sabrina.

 

“Hey, guys.”

 

“Hey.” Sam said. “How’d it go?”

 

Janie shrugged. “As well as it could, I guess. Where’s Sabrina?”

 

“She’s over th…” Dean pointed towards the swings, where he’d allowed Sabrina to go play not two minutes earlier. “That’s weird, she was there a minute ago.”

 

Janie, panicked, started shaking all over again. “You lost her?”   


“She was right there!”

 

“Sissy!”

 

Janie followed the sound of the voice and was immediately frozen. Sabrina was being dragged towards a car at the other end of the street. Dragged by a man that looked all too familiar to Janie. Just as the day that Leon had dragger her out of the diner and away from John, he turned and smiled Janie for a moment before throwing Sabrina roughly into the front seat.

 

“SABRINA!”

 

**Next chapter: Sam, Dean, and Janie search for Sabrina.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

It had been two hours since Sabrina went missing, and Janie was getting more and more frantic by the second. She knew it was irrational, but she refused to call AJ to allow him to start searching. She refused to share her thoughts with Dean, who she blamed for Sabrina getting taken. Janie made another phone call, refusing to share the details with either Sam or Dean. Dean cautiously came back to the motel room Sam had gotten, and was grateful when Janie didn’t kick him out. Sam was sitting next to her on the bed, trying to calm her and convince her to call the police.

 

“No, Sam.”  


“Look, normally I’d agree with you, but…” Sam said.

 

“Sam, I said no!” Janie snapped. “I already called someone.”

 

“Who?”

 

At the sound of Dean’s voice, Janie turned. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Janie, please, I’m sorry…”

 

“You were supposed to be watching her!” Janie said for the fifth time in two hours. “I trusted you, Dean!”

 

“I know, Janie, I know.” Dean was unused to this side of Janie. He was more accustomed to her easily forgiving nature. Suddenly, all the anger drained out of Janie and was replaced with anxiety. “He’s got my _baby_ , Dean. What if he’s hurting her like he did me?”

 

“If he hurts her, I promise you he won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”

 

“Dean!” Sam snapped when Janie started to breathe hard again in panic.

 

“Janie.”

 

Everyone in the room jumped. Castiel had appeared out of nowhere, and as used to it as the three of them were, it still scared them. Janie stood up, suddenly no longer the scared little girl she’d regressed to when she’d seen her father. She was now the fearless hunter that Sam and Dean were used to.

 

“Did you find them?”

 

“I did.” Cass said simply.

 

“Where’s Sabrina?” 

 

“Sabrina is outside the door. I have your father tied up in my car.” Cass said.

 

“Is she hurt?” Janie asked. When Cass frowned, Janie refrained from ripping down the door to the motel room. “Cass? Tell me.”

 

“Your father told her the truth about your past. All of it.” Cass said. “Sabrina defended you, told him that it couldn’t be true, and he…punished her for it.”

 

Janie’s heart plunged. She went to the door and opened it with shaking hands. Sabrina stood there, shaking and crying, but she didn’t seem to be hurt.

 

“I healed her before I came in.”

 

“Sabby, are you okay…?” Janie asked, taking her arm intending to gently lead her inside.

 

“NO!” Sabrina yelled, pulling away from Janie sharply.

 

“Sabrina?” Janie asked. “You’re safe now, honey. Come on inside.”

 

“You lied to me.” Sabrina said.

 

“Sabrina, I know you’re confused right now. But you need to come inside. We’ll talk about it, all of it, but you need to come inside. Now.”

 

An exhausted Sabrina walked inside and made a wide berth away from Janie. She sat at the table in the room, and Janie turned back to Cass. As hurt as she was for Sabrina, she had to deal with Leon first.

 

“Cass, I need you for one more thing.”

 

“Of course.” Cass replied.

 

“Take him back to the bunker. Zap him there, don’t drive him. Tie him up as tight as you can in the deepest, darkest room you can find and leave him there.”

 

“Are you going back to the bunker tonight?” Cass asked.

 

“No. But let him rot. We’ll be back sometime before he thirsts to death.”

 

“My pleasure.” Cass said. “Janie? May I say something to you?”

 

“Sure, Cass.”

 

“I’ve often been amazed at the strength of humans. But you have completely ‘blown me away’, as you would say. The amount of pain and anguish your father has caused you would have caused the strongest angels to lose their minds. I just wanted to say, I’m honored to be your friend.”

 

Janie sputtered for a moment. “Thank you, Cass.”

 

“You’re welcome. After I drop off your father, I will attempt to find out how he escaped and how he was able to elude Sam and Dean’s detection.”

 

Dean frowned and looked apologetic all over again.

 

“He said he made a deal.”

 

Janie turned towards Sabrina. “What?”

 

“He said he sold his soul to the devil so he could get out of prison and live ten more years.” Sabrina said. “He said he also asked to be invisible to anyone that he didn’t want to see him.”

 

“I’m surprised he had one to sell.” Dean remarked.

 

“That must be how he got away.” Sam said.

 

“Cass, will you go on and take him, please?” Janie said. “And remember that other conversation we had. I’ll call you if I change my mind.”

 

“Very well.”

 

Cass was gone, and Janie turned towards Sabrina. Sabrina was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, looking down at the floor. Janie saw her wipe tears away from her eyes. It was a look that Janie had seen far too many times in her past, when Leon would punish her for some imagined infraction, trying to inflict as much pain on her as possible.

 

“Sabby?”

 

“I don’t want to talk to you.” Sabrina said, though there was much more sadness and confusion in her voice than anger.  


“Well, you don’t have to talk. Just listen.” Janie said. “Do you want Sam and Dean to leave?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay.” Janie pulled a chair out and pulled it in front of Sabrina. “Will you look at me?”

 

Reluctantly, Sabrina looked up, and Janie saw there were tears brimming at the edge of her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me you were my mommy?”

“Because I’m not.” Janie said. “Did I carry you in here?” Janie asked, placing her hand on her stomach. “Yes. Do I love you so much that I can’t stand it? Yes. But your mommy is the one who took care of you every single day. She’s the one who was there every time you were sick, hurt, scared, happy, sad. _She_ was your mommy. And she loved you just as much as I did.”

 

“Why’d you leave home?” Sabrina asked.

 

Janie’s heart broke. She had never wanted to have this conversation with Sabrina. “What did Leon tell you?”

 

“That you left him because you were gonna have me. That you told him you were dead because you didn’t want him to see me.”

 

“No. That’s not true.” Janie thought carefully about her response. How did you explain to a nine-year-old girl that your father beat and raped you until you ran away from home? “Sweetie, I left Leon because he hurt me. Every day. The only good thing that came out of what he did to me was you.”

 

“How can I be a good thing if I’m here because he hurt you?”

 

“Because sometimes angels come to our lives in ways we don’t understand.” Janie said, amazing herself when she came up with that on the spot. When Sabrina smiled, Janie smiled back, relieved. “Baby, I know it’s confusing. And maybe one day I’ll explain it to you more. But for right now, all you need to know is this. You coming into my life saved me from him. So don’t ever feel bad because of what he did to me. None of that is your fault. Understand?”

 

Sabrina nodded. “I understand.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Janie said. “I know it hurt you that I wasn’t home a lot. I was still hurting and I was afraid that if I stayed home that I’d end up hurting you too.”

 

“Please don’t leave.” Sabrina said. “I need you.”

 

“I won’t. Not until I know you’re safe. And I’m sorry I can’t keep you, honey. But you deserve a a real family, and I can’t give you that with what I do. Okay?”

 

Sabrina nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Okay.” Janie said. “Will you tell me what Leon did to you?”

 

Sabrina blushed in embarrassment.

 

“Honey, did he touch you?” Janie asked.

 

“He hit me in the face and he spanked me.” Sabrina said. “Cass showed up before he could do anything else.”

Janie exhaled hard at that. “Did he do anything else?”

 

“No.” Sabrina said.

 

“Okay.” Janie said. She was angry that Leon had hurt her at all, but relieved he hadn’t had the chance to go further. “Are you still hurting?”

 

“No. Cass healed me.” Sabrina answered. “Is he really an angel?”

 

“Yep.” Janie said. “Pretty cool, huh?”

 

“Yeah. All your friends are cool.” Sabrina said.

 

“You hungry, baby? I am.”

 

Sabrina started to say no, but her rumbling stomach gave her away. “Yeah. I am.”

 

“Come on. Let’s go to Leo’s.”

 

“What’s Leo’s?” Dean asked.

 

“The best place ever!” Sabrina said. “They’ve got everything! Chinese and pizza and burgers and fries and ice cream…”

 

“It’s an all you can eat place with a bunch of different styles of food.” Janie explained.

 

“Can I get buffet?” Sabrina asked.

 

“You can get whatever you want, love.” Janie said. “Go wash your face and we’ll go.” As Sabrina ran into the bathroom, Janie turned to Dean. “Dean, I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time.”

 

“It’s okay…”

 

“No, it isn’t. I know you did your best to keep her safe. I _do_ trust you. You and Sam are about the only two people in the world I trust. I don’t want to lose that. Especially now.” Janie said.

 

“What does that mean?” Sam asked. “What did you mean when you said to Cass…?”

 

“I’m ready!” Sabrina had come out of the bathroom and was practically bouncing off the wall.

 

“I’m ready too, monkey butt.” Janie said, eliciting a giggle out of Sabrina. Janie laughed and hugged Sabrina tightly. “Listen, I want you to stay in here for a second while I go outside with Sam and Dean.”

 

“But I’m hungry!” Sabrina whined.

“I’m hungry tooooo!” Janie said, her dragged out syllables getting another giggle out of Sabrina. “But we have to talk about some grown up stuff. I promise it’ll only take a minute.”

 

“Okay.” Sabrina said. “But you have to eat some broccoli tonight if I do.”

 

“Yuck!” Janie said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. “Deal.”

 

Janie sat Sabrina back down on the bed, and turned on the TV to make sure her attention was on something other than the adults talking outside. She stood at just the right angle outside that she could keep her eye on Sabrina the entire time.

 

“Janie, what are you gonna do?” Sam asked.

 

“Before you guys react, I’ve already made my mind up on this. There’s no talking me out of it.”

 

“Talking you out of what?” Dean asked.

 

Janie swallowed. She knew, deep down, that she was doing the right thing, but it would be painful and hard to bear no matter how Sam and Dean reacted. She knew that Sam would disagree with her, and would try to talk her out of it no matter what she said. Dean could go either way.

 

“Cass is coming back tonight after Sabrina goes to sleep. He’s altering her memory so that she won’t remember me or Leon.”

 

“What?!?” Sam asked loudly. “Janie…”   


“Sam, don’t.” Janie said. “I’ve made up my mind about this already.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I won’t do it to her, Sam.” Janie said. “I won’t put my past onto her.”

 

“But you said you called Cass about this earlier today.”

 

Janie nodded. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since AJ told me it was Leon.”

 

“Janie…”

 

“Sam. Stop.” Dean said firmly. “She’s made her choice. And I get it.”

 

Surprised, Janie answered, “Thank you, Dean.”

 

“But…” Dean said, checking in the window to make sure Sabrina was occupied, “you need to be sure. This isn’t something you can take back.”

 

“I know.” Janie said. “Cass’ll change her memory while she’s asleep. When she wakes up in the morning, she’ll be with her new adoptive family. As far as she and the rest of the world will be concerned, Jack and Marissa died a year ago in a car accident, and Sabrina was adopted into an awesome family that’s always wanted kids but couldn’t have them.”

 

“This is wrong.” Sam said. “You can’t just erase her memory of you.”

 

“I did.” Dean said. “With Ben and Lisa. As hard as that was, I’ve never regretted it. It’ll keep her a lot safer. Sam, you need to leave her alone.”

 

Sam stood against the wall next to the motel room door, shaking his head.

 

“Guys, after I do this, I really won’t have a place to go…”

 

Dean interrupted her thoughts by enveloping her into a tight hug. Janie held him as tight as he did her. She would deal with Leon the next day, but she was starting to feel herself coming up for air. She missed her parents terribly, but she would always have the memory of them. She would mourn Sabrina too, but giving her a chance at a true future, unburdened by the story of her conception, was worth the sacrifice. After a few long seconds, Dean told her sincerely,

 

“Don’t ever say that again. As long as me, Sam, or Cass are breathing, you will always have a place to go. You will always have a family. Remember what Bobby used to say?”

 

“Yeah.” Janie said.

 

“Say it.”

 

“Family don’t end in blood.” Janie recalled with a smile.

 

“But it don’t start there either.” Dean said. “Got it?”

 

“Got it.” Janie said. “Thanks, Dean.”

 

“Anytime. Now what do you say we go feed this kid?”

 

“Let’s go.” Janie said. She spotted Sam, who was still leaning against the wall. “Sam? I know you don’t agree. Just tell me this doesn’t mean we can’t be frie…” Dean poked her in the side and Janie revised her question. “Family anymore.”

 

Sam softened and gave her another hug. “Never.”

 

“I love you guys.” Janie said. It was the first time she’d said it to anyone other than Jack and Marissa in years.

 

“Love you too, kiddo. Come on, let’s go.”

 

**Next chapter: Janie confronts Leon at the bunker.**


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a long, somewhat silent day. Janie had spent the day before with Sabrina as if nothing was changing. Sabrina seemed surprisingly okay with everything Janie had told her, and spent most of the conversation talking with Dean about her favorite classic cars. Sam was quiet, still silent disagreeing with Janie’s decision. But since she seemed at peace with it, so he opted not to say anything. After checking that Sabrina was safe with her new family, they headed home.

 

The drive home had seemed even longer than normal. Janie didn’t perform her usual routine of baiting them into friendly banter with her. Her mind was on one thing-confronting Leon. He’d been tied up alone in the bunker for over twenty-four hours at that point. Janie had checked the records before leaving, and found that Sabrina was now in the process of becoming Sabrina Adams-Johnson, the adoptive daughter of Roger and Beth Johnson. She had lost her parents, Jack and Marissa Adams, in a car accident months earlier, and was adjusting well with her new family. It hurt like hell, but Janie didn’t regret it one bit.

 

When the door to the bunker opened a few hours later, Cass was already waiting for them. He sat at the kitchen table and greeted them, then informed Janie,

 

“Your father is still locked up in the dungeon.”

 

“Cass, please stop calling him my father.” Janie said, a slight edge to her voice. “He stopped being my father a long time ago.”

 

“My apologies.”

 

“No. Cass, I’m sorry. I’m just…tired. Thank you for everything you’ve done the last few days.” Janie said.

 

“I’m happy to help.” Cass said sincerely.

 

“I know you are.” Janie said. “I’m going to get some sleep.”

 

“I thought you wanted to talk to Leon.” Sam said.

 

“I will. Later.” Janie said. “I’ve waited ten years to ask him what I’m gonna ask him, a few more hours wouldn’t hurt.”

 

“He’s been in there for over a day.” Dean pointed out.

 

“He can last for three without water.” Janie said. “He used to lock me up for two days at a time for nothing. I’m just giving a taste of his own medicine. I swear, in two more hours, I’ll go in there.”

 

Janie kept her word. Exactly two hours later, she stood at the door of a room she hadn’t even been aware was in the bunker before, holding the doorknob in her hand and fighting the urge to tremble. A familiar hand took hers, and she looked up to see Sam and Dean standing next to her.

 

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But Dean and I are right here if you do.”

 

Janie smiled. “I know I don’t have to. But I need to know.” She looked up and said, “Cass, I’m ready whenever you are.”

 

Cass appeared behind the three of them.

 

Janie took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

 

Janie opened the door, walking towards the bookcases in the middle of the room with purpose. Sam helped her pull them aside, revealing an almost empty room with a devil’s trap painted in the middle of it. Every light was off, and there was a single chair in the middle of the room with a familiar face strapped tightly into it. A face that had haunted Janie’s dreams for the last few years. Leon had not seen her yet, but immediately started shouting the second light started streaming into the room.

 

“Who the hell do you jackasses think you are…?”   


“You mean you don’t like being restrained to a dark, cold room for days?” Janie said, making her way into Leon’s field of vision. “Too damn bad.”

 

“You.” Leon said, shooting a look of pure hatred and venom Janie’s way. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

 

“Janie Foster _is_ dead.” Janie said, as Sam and Dean made their way towards opposite corners of the room.

 

“Who are these clowns? Your goons?”

 

Janie laughed. “Goons. I kinda like that. Because one false move from you and they’ll kill you before you have the chance to take another breath. Got that?”

 

“What the hell do you think I’m gonna do sitting here trussed up like this?”

 

“I don’t know. You sure made short work of beating the hell out of me when you were drunk. Or sober. It didn’t seem to really matter.” Janie said bitterly, taking a seat against on top of a foldout table that was sitting against the wall.

 

“I never hurt you.”

 

“Cass?”

 

 

Cass walked slowly behind Leon and placed both hands on top of his head. After a few seconds, Leon shouted and doubled over in pain. Cass hung on for nearly a full minute before withdrawing and standing back against the wall behind him. Leon was breathing heavily.

 

“What in the hell was that?”

 

“I gave Cass access to my memories of you. All of them. Every time you beat me, every time you locked me up, every time you did worse. He can take the pain and the fear that you made me feel and pass it on to you.” Janie said with a smirk that unsettled Leon.

 

“That’s impossible.”   


“Not when he’s an angel.”

 

“A…a what?” Leon said.

 

“An angel. Tell me, how does it feel knowing you’re gonna have to answer for everything you did?”

  
Leon said nothing, just continued to glare at Janie.

 

“Okay, fine. Here’s how this is gonna go. I’m gonna ask you three questions. You’re gonna tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If I even suspect that you’re lying, Cass takes every memory I’ve got of you and plays them over and over and over and over again, until I decide that they stop. Understand?”

 

“I don’t have to do anything.”

 

Before Janie could say anything, Cass again placed both hands on top of Leon’s head and held them there. It took almost two minutes for him to cry out.

 

“Stop!”

 

“Give it twenty more seconds, Cass.” Janie said coolly.

 

Cass held his grip tightly, and Leon continued to thrash and struggle as much as he could. When Cass finally released him, Leon was struggling to keep his composure. But Janie had no sympathy for him.

 

“Look at me.” When Leon refused, Janie said again, “Cass.”

 

“Fine!”

 

When Janie finally held his attention, she got directly down to business. “First question. What happened to mommy?”

Leon sneered. “Mommy? Aren’t you a little old for _mommy?_ ”

 

“Cass. Five seconds.” Cass repeated the motion, and five seconds later Leon was glaring at him with a vengeance that he used to throw on Janie on a whim.

 

“If you’re trying to intimidate them or me, it won’t work. So don’t waste your time. Answer the question.” Jane said. “What happened to mommy? Did she actually kill herself?”

 

Leon laughed again. “Are you that stupid?”

 

“Hey…” Dean growled from the corner of the room.

 

“Cool it, Dean. I’ll take care of it.” Janie said without taking her eye off Leon. “Answer the question.”

 

Leon sighed dramatically, as if he was just doing it to humor Janie. “Fine. Your mother found out I had a girlfriend on the side, and she wasn’t too happy with me. She started making plans to leave me, and I didn’t want that.”

 

“So that’s when you two started fighting all the time.”

 

“Very good.” Leon said. “You’re not as stupid as you used to be.”

 

“What happened?” Janie said, not rising to Leon’s bait.

 

“Your mom and I got into another fight. She told me she was going to pick you up from your friend’s house and go to a motel. So, when she went upstairs, I stepped outside and cut the brake line on her car.”

 

Janie fought to remain neutral, not wanting to give Leon the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. “You killed her?”   


“Sure did.”

 

“So, let me get this straight. You were married to the woman who owned one of the biggest, most popular businesses in downtown. You left her for some tramp you met at a bar or something. And you think _I’m_ the stupid one?” Janie asked.

 

As she had predicted, the taunt worked. “You stupid bitch…”

 

Dean moved from the wall again. “Watch it.”

 

“Or what?” Leon asked.

 

“Or we hang you from the ceiling and beat you like a piñata.” Sam suggested.

 

“Oh, I like that idea, Sam.” Janie said.

  
“Figures you’d let them do your dirty work for you. You never could do anything for yourself.”

 

Janie smiled. “You’re right. I will let them do it. But not because I can’t. Because I think it kills you that I have people who care enough about me to kill you for me without a second thought.”  


“They can’t kill me.” Leon said matter-of-factly.

 

“Why not?” Janie asked. “Sam? Dean? Cass? Am I wrong?”

 

“Nope.” Sam and Dean said together.

 

“No, you are not.” Cass said simply.

 

“So, if you don’t want that to happen, I suggest you answer my questions.”

 

“What do you want to know?” Leon asked.

 

“Did you kill my mom and dad?”

 

“I’m your father, and I already answered that….”

 

“You haven’t been my father in years. Not since I was ten years old.” Janie said. “Did you kill them or not?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How did you find out I was alive? And where I was?” Janie asked.

 

“Exactly as I suspected.”

 

The new voice in the room caused Leon to jump, but the rest of them didn’t move. Crowley walked to Janie and handed her a familiar piece of paper. Janie took it and read, her smile growing wider as she read.

 

“Janie? What’s it say?” Sam asked.

 

“It says that my darling dad here made a deal with a demon to find out what really happened the night I supposedly died. Apparently, it got around somehow that he had impregnated me and his cellmates weren’t that fond of him anymore.”

 

“It ‘got around’ years ago. That son of a bitch you ran off with came to visit my cellmate and told him.” Leon said.

 

This time, Janie did not restrain her emotion. She laughed, a long, hard, belly-shaking laugh that she hadn’t experienced since long before her parents had been killed. John had called her one last time right before he died, and not long after she’d had Sabrina. He’d told her that she was ‘safe now’ and that Leon ‘would understand now exactly what he’s done to you’. She’d often wondered what he meant, and now she knew.

 

“It’s not funny.”

 

“Yeah, actually, it is.” Dean said. “Janie, you mind if I take over for a minute?”

 

“Don’t kill him. Not unless I ask you to later. But go ahead.”

 

“I have hunted some disgusting sons of bitches before. But you take the cake of all of ‘em.” Dean said.

 

“Agreed.” Sam said.

 

“You two don’t know anything about me.” Leon said. “You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

 

“It doesn’t matter. We do know what you’ve put Janie through. That’s enough for us.”

 

“Guys, I want to finish this. If you want a go at him when I’m done, you can have it.” Sam and Dena walked back to their respective corners, and Janie asked her next question, the most important of them all. “Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why did you turn on me? What did I do to you?” Janie asked. “I loved you. Why did you hate me so much?”

 

“Because you were the only reason your mother tried to make our marriage work.” Leon said. “And you were the reason she was leaving.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“She told me we needed a break from each other because the constant fighting was bad for you.” Leon said. “Like it wasn’t for us.”

 

“So, she put what I needed ahead of you. And it pissed you off, so you got rid of her and tortured me.” Janie said.

 

When Leon said nothing, Janie stood up, walked over to him, and drew her fist back. Before anyone had registered what happened, Janie had hit him six times; twice in the nose, once in each eye, once more on the nose, flattening it, and finally, a punch to the chin hard enough to send his chair falling to the floor. Sam and Dean stood watching, wondering whether or not to restrain Janie or let her continue to take out her feelings on Leon. When the chair clattered to the floor, Sam ran over and grabbed Janie around the waist.   


“He’s not worth it.”

 

“Sam, let me go.”

 

“Janie, you don’t want to kill him. I know you think it’ll make you feel better. And I know he deserves it after what he did to you…” Sam said.

 

“That wasn’t for me.” Janie seethed. Cass was pulling the chair back up to its full standing position. “That’s for what you did to Sabrina.”

 

“Sabrina, huh?” Leon asked, the words coming out gargled because of his severely broken nose. “You named her after your mother.”

 

“Damn right I did. Because mom got me away from you.”

 

“She’d been dead for years.” Leon said.

 

“That’s right. And every time you hit me, beat me, or forced me to have sex with you, I’d cry for her. Beg her to come back and help me. That’s exactly what she did.” Janie said. “Sam let me go.”

 

“Don’t…”   


“I’m not gonna kill him. Myself. I’m just gonna talk.” Sam reluctantly let her go, and Janie brushed herself off as if she’d just stopped a fight. She picked up the contract Crowley had brought with him. “Crowley, may I?”

 

“Please do. I don’t make deals with psychopaths like that.”

 

Janie ripped the contract up into tiny pieces, making Leon’s eyes grow bigger with each increasing rip. “That’s supposed to protect me!”

 

“When I approve them, yes. But you see, I’m the king of hell. And generally I do approve contracts. The more souls I have in hell, the better. But once in a while, there’s a soul that even I won’t take. And when that happens, I get to decide what to do with it.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Leon asked through gritted teeth.

 

“It means, that once I’m done here, Cass is going to smite you.” Janie said. “You’ll be dead. And after that, you get to spend eternity being _his_ bitch.” Janie pointed to Crowley, who was grinning wickedly.

 

“You said you wouldn’t kill me.”

“Actually, she said if you didn’t want to die, you’d answer the questions. She never said she wouldn’t kill you.” Dean said.

 

“I, I…” Leon started to stutter, as if the words he was about to say hurt him physically. “Janie, please don’t.”

 

“Shut up.” Janie said. “As many times as I begged you not to hurt me, you don’t get to beg me. It’s over. Sabrina is living with a family that loves and cares about her. She has no memory of you, of me, of anything about either of us. The damage you did to me will not be passed on to her.”

 

“She’s my daughter too…”

 

“If you want to die quick and painless, you’ll shut the hell up. Now.” Janie said. “She was never your daughter. _I_ was. And you abused that privilege. For that, you’re gonna pay. But first, I want you to know this. I am no longer afraid of you. You have no power over me. When I leave this room, I will never think of you again. But you, I’m sure, will think about me, every day, for the rest of eternity. Have fun.” Janie turned and headed for the door. “Sam, Dean, let’s go.”

 

Sam and Dean joined her, walking back out into the hallway. As they did, they heard Leon scream, and the familiar sound of Cass smiting someone. When Janie stepped into the hallway, Sam wasn’t sure what to make of the expression on her face. It seemed to be one of relief and sadness at the same time. But it was Dean who finally pinpointed it.

 

“You look different.” he said. “At peace.”

 

Janie nodded. “I am. I miss Sabrina, and my parents, and my mom, but it feels good knowing he can’t hurt anyone else.”

 

“How about we go for pie?” Dean said. “To celebrate.”

 

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m headed to bed. I want to look for a case and go find some other evil son of a bitch to kill.” Janie answered. “Good night, guys.”

 

“Good night, Janie.” Sam and Dean said together.

 

Janie walked a few feet down the hall, then turned again. “Hey, guys?” When Sam and Dean turned around, Janie walked over and stepped between them to give them both a hug. “Thank you. For everything.”

 

“Don’t mention it, kiddo. That’s why we’re here.” Dean said.

 

“Yeah. We’re here for you, Janie. Always.” Sam said.

 

Janie took a deep breath, and said something she was afraid she would never mean again. “I love you both.”

“We love you too.” Sam and Dean said together. Dean, who was just slightly taller than Janie, kissed her cheek. “Go get some sleep, kiddo. We’ll talk in the morning.”

 

Janie let them go, then finally headed to bed, sleeping for the first time in years with only good dreams.


End file.
